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Posted October 28, 2012 12:07 am - Updated January 22, 2016 03:43 pm

Slow cooking makes for fast, hot meals

FROM KAYLA ALLEN: On today's trip to Kroger, my favorite cashier was there and she is familiar with my couponing. I was allowed to use my $5 coupons immediately after they printed without going back shopping and I was allowed to use more than one $5 off coupon per transaction. I purchased 12 boxes General Mills cereal, five boxes of Betty Crocker cake mix, six boxes of Betty Crocker potatoes, 12 boxes of Hamburger Helper, three Crest toothpaste, two French's fried onions, two bags of Thomas bagels, two bags of Thomas English muffins, one bag of Tostitos, one jar of salsa and one 24-pack bottled water. Total cost before sales and coupons: $277.76. Total paid after sales and coupons: $36.57 equals a happy, happy girl!

Do you know what you are having for dinner tonight? What about dinner tomorrow? Many people are so busy throughout the day that they do not even think about what they are going to have for dinner until the end of the day.

Between family functions, sports or a longer commute, the last thing you want to do is sit in a drive-through. That’s going to happen sometimes, but there’s a better way to get a hot meal at the end of a long day — using a slow cooker and a plan.

Plan your menu now to save time, money and sanity later. Organizing a menu is essential for your family’s budget. By looking at the sales circulars and stocking up on staples your family regularly eats, you can save a great deal. But if you do not plan a meal around those items and you still find yourself going through the drive-through lane, you have defeated the purpose of savvy shopping.

Try using a slow cooker. It allows you to cook a meal even if you have to be away from home for long periods of time. We all only have 24 hours in a day. We can only fit so much into the same time slot. If we wait to do everything after work, it’s no wonder we are stressed, hungry and broke! I’ve got a great solution for you: Invest in a slow cooker. You will be able to prepare meals when your schedule allows. If you have time in the evening, you can get everything ready for tomorrow’s meal. Cut up the meat, veggies, etc., and store in the refrigerator. The next day simply transfer them to the pot and let the food cook while you are out. When you arrive home at the end of the day you will have a hot meal ready to be served. If you are a morning person, you can start dinner before you head out for the day. The point is you can schedule time to prepare your meals and have them waiting for you when you get home, instead of you waiting on your dinner in the drive-through line.

Invest in a good slow cooker. These electric, low-temperature cooking pots come in a variety of sizes and styles. You can get one with simple settings such as low, medium and high; or you can opt for a more advanced model that is digital and allows for a timer to be set to start cooking at whatever time you designate. This week I have noticed several stores have the smaller three-piece, 1.5-quart Crock-pots on sale.

These would be good for preparing a variety of meats for stews, vegetables or a variety of appetizers. Walmart has the GE Triple Slow Cooker on sale for $29.92 (ad page 15) and Walgreens has a 1.5-quart single slow cooker on sale for $12.99 (ad page 4), and Kmart has the Bella Trio slow cooker on sale for $29.99 (ad page 5). I was able to find several very inexpensive slow cookers online at www.walmart.com, where the basic 7-quart slow cooker was only $19.94. You can also pick these up slow cookers pretty inexpensively at garage sales or thrift stores. Be sure to keep these things in mind when selecting or using the pot:

• Purchase one that allows the dish to come out of the slow cooker for easy cleaning.

• If you are worried about having an appliance on while you are gone during the day, plug the slow cooker into a power strip with a surge protector. Slow cookers use very little electricity so you will save money on the power bill, too.

You can find tons of recipes on the internet. Simply do a search for Crock-Pot recipes. You will find recipes for breakfast, dinner, lunch, desserts, appetizers and just about anything else you can ponder. Select some of your favorite recipes that you already have the ingredients for on hand or select a few recipes that will allow you to use whatever is on sale that week.

Using a slow cooker allows you to use cheaper cuts of meat. Because the meat cooks all day, the moisture is drawn into the meat and it will be nice and tender. Linda Larsen has written a wonderful guide on how to use a slow cooker. You can read her entire article at busycooks.about.com/od/slowcookerrecipes/a/crockpot101.htm. I found these tips from the article especially helpful:

• For best results, ground meats must be cooked in a skillet before cooking in the slow cooker.

• Seafood should be added during the last hour of cooking time or it will overcook and have a rubbery texture.

• Large pieces of meat can be browned before cooking, but this step isn’t necessary. Browning adds color and helps in flavor development.

• Cayenne pepper and Tabasco sauce tend to become bitter if cooked for long periods of time. Use small amounts and add toward the end of the cooking time.

• Add tender vegetables like tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini during the last 45 minutes of cooking time so they don’t overcook.

• Dairy products should be added during the last 30 minutes of cooking time, unless the recipes states otherwise.

• Liquids do not boil away in the pot, so if you are making a recipe that wasn’t specifically developed for slow cooking, reduce the liquid by a third to a half unless you are cooking rice or making soup.

• Stir in spices for the last hour of cooking. They will lose flavor if cooked with the rest of the ingredients for the long cooking period.

For those of you who don’t have a slow cooker yet, you can still plan those menus. Prepping or even cooking the meal the night before will still save you time and money. In the mean time, keep a list of quick and easy meals that you can make, and make sure you keep those ingredients on hand. When your family members can’t seem to decide what they want for dinner, refer to the list and pick one.

Sometimes we do want to run through the drive-through or visit a restaurant as a special treat, and that is OK. But you still don’t have to pay full price. Keep restaurant coupons in the glove box of your car. If you have a favorite restaurant be sure to visit its Facebook page and website often for potential savings. Also follow the daily deals at www.dailydeals.savannahnow.com — you can often pick up vouchers for local restaurants vouchers for half off; keep these on hand for those unplanned nights or for special date nights.

Also keep your coupons and all of the stores sales ads in your car. Look at the sales ads before you go and decide what you are going to purchase. This way you can either shop at whichever store has the best price or price-match at Walmart. Keeping those coupons with you will allow you to scoop up savings you may have missed by leaving them at home.

One thing I absolutely love is budget-saving applications for your computer and smartphones. These apps are a great way to help you take control of your budget, learn to budget, and will even teach you ways to put some money back into savings. If you go to iTunes or the Google store depending on your phone, you will find hundreds of apps that will help you with finances.